Transworld SKATE’s Exclusive Inteview With Joe Maloof

TransWorld SKATE Editor Ben Kelley had a chance to sit down with Joe Maloof himself at the Palms Casino and Hotel in Vegas, during the 2009 Maloof Money Cup Sponsor Summit and kick-off party. Maloof discussed the ins-and-outs of this year’s contest, where he saw it headed in the future and why he and brother Gavin decided to invest in skateboarding. Lizard King also jumped into the conversation with a little side commentary:
“Joe, how has etnies helped the advancement of the contest?
Well, etnies came in and were one of the first partners we had. They all believed in the event and they taught us—we came in actually with our hat in hand. We asked the sponsors, we asked the etnies of the world, especially the skaters themselves, how do we do this? They gave us their input and we took that input, put it together and came out with this Maloof Money Cup.

Where do you see the Maloof Money Cup in five years? Will we ever see a one million dollar first place prize?
[Laughs] These guys deserve it. People don't realize how hard these guys work to do the things they do—it takes a lot of heart. They get banged down, banged down, and then get up. How many repetitions do they do?